Contact the Elderly

2018 sees the launch of a new partnership with Contact the Elderly as part of our ongoing drive to give back to our local communities.

Loneliness is a growing epidemic among older people, with over half of all people aged 75 and over living alone. Approximately 3.9million older people say the television is their main source of company, with research showing more than 6,000 people identifying as lonely in East Yorkshire alone.

Contact the Elderly

Contact the Elderly is the only national charity solely dedicated to tackling loneliness and social isolation among older people through face to face contact. Supported by a network of volunteers, the charity organises monthly Sunday afternoon tea parties for small groups of older people, aged 75 and over, who live alone.

Each older person is collected from their home by a volunteer driver and taken to a volunteer host’s home for the afternoon. The group is warmly welcomed by a different host each month, but the drivers remain the same which means that over the months and years, acquaintances turn into friends and loneliness is replaced by companionship.

These tea parties are a real lifeline of friendship for our older guests who have little or no contact with family or friends. They bring people of all ages together, develop fulfilling friendships and support networks, and give everyone involved something to look forward to each month.

Beverley Partnership

In July 2018 Beverley Racecourse finalised a year long partnership with Contact the Elderly, hosting a series of special tea parties at the racecourse through the season, along with a campaign to help Contact the Elderly raise awareness and recruit hosts and volunteers.

If you could host a tea party (roughly once every six months), drive an elderly person to a tea party (once a month), or know of someone isolated and lonely who would benefit by being involved, we are desperate to hear from you. Please contact us here.